The Kogi State Police Command has rescued four people abducted by gunmen during an attack on a purported NECO examination centre at the abandoned Government Secondary School, Olowa Agbajo, in Dekina Local Government Area.
Commissioner of Police Naziru Bello Kankarofi announced the rescue during a press briefing in Lokoja on Friday, saying the victims were freed alive on Thursday evening after sustained joint security operations.
The rescued victims are the school principal, Elder Daniel Iyanda; a NECO official, Mr. Solomon Peter; and two female candidates identified as Miss Dorcas Sunday and another Miss Dorcas.
According to the police commissioner, the victims were kidnapped on July 14 when armed men stormed the examination centre where 10 special candidates were sitting the ongoing NECO examination.
Kankarofi said he visited the scene alongside the Commander of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Kasim Sidi, and the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (retd.), to coordinate rescue efforts.
He said additional tactical teams and intelligence assets were deployed, while joint security operatives comprising the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, local vigilantes, hunters and other stakeholders launched intensive search operations across nearby forests and communities.
The police commissioner said the sustained pressure forced the kidnappers to abandon the victims.
“I am pleased to inform you that these concerted efforts yielded the desired result. At about 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2026, all four abducted victims were successfully rescued alive through the sustained operational pressure mounted on the criminal elements,” he said.
He added that the victims had been reunited with the appropriate authorities and were receiving necessary care and support, noting that no lives were lost during the operation.
Kankarofi also disclosed that preliminary investigations had uncovered concerns about the examination centre.
According to him, the Kogi State Government had previously shut down Government Secondary School, Olowa Agbajo, due to its isolated location and security risks, but the abandoned facility was allegedly being used as a special examination centre for the ongoing NECO examinations.
He said investigators were probing allegations that some individuals facilitated the use of the closed school despite its shutdown and that the classroom used for the examination had allegedly gained notoriety as a centre for examination malpractice.
The police commissioner warned that anyone found culpable would be arrested and prosecuted, regardless of status.
He also stressed that public examinations should only be conducted in approved and secure centres to prevent exposing candidates, officials and the public to danger.
Kankarofi commended the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, for deploying operational resources to support the rescue mission and praised Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Nigerian Army, DSS, NSCDC, local vigilantes, hunters and other members of the joint security team for their collaboration.
He assured residents that efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest those responsible for the abduction and urged examination bodies, school authorities and members of the public to cooperate with investigators by providing credible information.